avafitzsimonsjapan

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Ava Fitzsimons, Final Project: Unexpected Japan

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Day  #22

Sadly, today was our last activity. I woke up at around 7am and walked to the bakery at the end of our street and got one final breakfast for all my roommates. We met up as a group at 8am and took about a 1 hour bus ride to the bamboo forest. We went to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Nonomiya shrine, and climbed up the mountain to see the monkeys. The bamboo forest was so pretty, and wasn’t as crowded as all the other very touristy places we’ve been to which was good. The Nonomiya shrine was cool to see and is known to help people with success and love. When climbing up the mountain to see the monkeys a monkey peed on my head, which was DISGUSTING but a funny story, so I’m not that upset about it. On the top of the mountain the view was incredible. I think this was the best view we have seen so far because you could so clearly see the city and the mountains. The monkeys were so cute, especially the baby ones. I definitely want to take my family here because I think they would enjoy seeing the area. After breaking off from the group, I figured out the bus system alone and took the bus back to Sanjo station. I couldn’t stay to go to the onsen with jade because I had to work on my final project. Once I got home, I showered and went to get lunch at Avacado where I had a taco rice bowl which was amazing, as always. I have been at Starbucks since working on my project and It has been harder than expected being able to put into words how amazing this trip was and everything I was able to learn. Tonight I plan on getting dinner with Jade and doing some laundry. I can’t believe tomorrow I am seeing my family!

Last nights readings were good to know before the activity. One of them talked about Arashiyama and how the land is managed which was good to know before experiencing it for ourselves. The primary concerns in Arashiyama, today, are on erosion management and preserving the scenic views. Arashiyama has been a scenic forest since the late 8th century, so obviously it is important to keep it beautiful. Knowing the problems the forest has faced such as monkey overpopulation and typhoons and seeing how amazing it was in person made me appreciate the countries preservation efforts. The other reading was a story about the Nonomiya shrine and was a small section of the much longer story The Tale of Genji. The story felt somewhat out of place because we were not really given that much context, but it was an interesting read. 

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Day #21

Today was such a fun day. We woke up pretty early (around 7am) because we were meeting with the group at 8. We took the subway and then the limited express train to Nara Park. Once entering the park we were immediately greeted by a lot of deer. There are deer in New Jersey so I did not think I would be that impressed by them, but my expectations were totally exceeded. The deer were so calm and friendly and wanted to hang around the humans which was so cool. I got a chance to pet the deer which I never thought I would do in my entire life because we don’t play with the deer back home. We then walked to Todaiji temple which was probably my favorite temple we have been to thus far. The giant buddha was an amazing sight to see. I even got a chance to crawl through the pole with a hole in it which is supposed to be the same size of the giant buddha’s nostril. It is symbolic because it is said if you can crawl through the hole you will be enlightened in your next life. Thankfully, I was able to slide through. After seeing the Todaiji temple we walked about 20 minutes to the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, which was cool to see as well. After the shrine we broke off for the day and Jade, Allison, Cody, Xander, and I found a cafe that had acai bowls which I was SO excited about because I have not had one in so long. I got an acai bowl and a pitaya bowl because I was pretty hungry, it was good. Cody and I then headed back home because I needed start my final project since my family is going to be here so soon, I can’t wait!!! I have been at Starbucks for the past 3 hours working on my project, and tonight I think we are going to try a Japanese bbq place which I’m very excited about. I can’t believe tomorrow is our last activity it has been such an amazing and organized trip, I’m sad it's over, but I am beyond excited to see my sister (and dad too lol).

The reading last night was important for today’s activity because it helped explain the significance of the big buddha we saw at the Todaiji temple. The giant buddha is known as the the historical buddha and is famous for sticking around to help the “lesser ones” achieve enlightenment, even though he was enlightened ages ago. We also got a chance to see Kannon, which we have learned about in other readings as well. It is also important to note that the deer in the park are considered sacred and are seen as messengers to god.

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Day #20- free day

Today I woke up at 9:30am and went to breakfast with jade. We went to this place called smart coffee where we go amazing pancakes. This is my second time going here, they’re probably the best pancakes I’ve ever had. We also split a bacon and egg sandwich which was good. At around noon we met up with some of our friends and went on a bus to Kyoto station and then took a train to Osaka. Once we got to Osaka we went to the top of this really cool building where we got to see a nice view of Osaka. After that, we took a subway to the street market area of Osaka. The streets were extremely crowded and there were tons of food and clothing shops. There also was a river with boat tours that ran through the markets which was pretty cool. We were going to go on a boat tour, but decided to get food instead. I tried octopus balls and hated it, but I had to try it because there were tons of stores selling them I had to know what all the hype was about. I wouldn’t recommend, jade even spit hers into my bag ha. We then got Kobe beef ramen which was amazing! Jade and I then got cold stone ice cream ice pops which was also very good. We walked around a little bit more and explored the area and then took a subway to the aquarium. The aquarium here was really cool, we got a chance to see a whale shark. We now are going to head home and do some laundry. I really liked getting a chance to see a little bit of Osaka! Can’t wait to Nara tomorrow!!

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Day #19

Today was apretty uneventful. I woke up at 8:30am, went to Starbucks, as usual, and met up with the group at 9:30am. We then went to the Kyoto National Museum. The museum had a lot of cool artifacts, but it wasn’t my favorite museum we’ve been to. One of the exhibits I especially liked was the hempen Buddhist robe also known as the ami’e. The ami’e is a kind of ecclesiastical robe unique to the Ji Shun. It was made of coarse bast fibers (hemp or ramie) plaited with the same kind of twining technique used to make straw mats. An ami’e is one of the twelve possessions that itinerant Ji Shu priests were allowed to carry as they traveled. After the museum, Jade and I went back to Sanjo and went to this Italian restaurant where we ate at a buffet for 1800 yen. We had different kinds of pizzas, pastas, potatoes, and vegetables, it was SO good. We then tried to nap, but I couldn’t fall asleep because of the construction next door. I then went on a bike ride around the river for a little. For dinner, Jade, Xander, Cody, Allison and I tried this interesting place. Cody wanted to try Okonomiyaki so we all decided to go try it out. Okonomiyaki is supposed to be a Japanese savory “pancake”, but it is really more just noodles and pork on a hash brown. I liked it and i’m happy I tried it, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to get it again. Tomorrow is our free day and we are going to Osaka, so I’m excited about that!

Last night in the reading we learned about Ippen and nenbutsu. Ippen is a wandering itinerant preacher whose main teaching was the singular recitation of nenbutsu. Ippen is known for starting the tradition of the nenbutsu dance. There is a problem with Ippen’s religious practices, though, because having full and true faith in amida, might not come about after reciting the nenbutsu. The reading was pretty confusing, not gonna lie. Overall even though today was a slow day, I still had fun.

ticket for the museum

This was dinner... everyone got the same thing, but I got chinese noodles and Jade and Xander got japanese noodles so thats why mine looks different.

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Day #18

Today was a rainy day, but we made the best of it. I woke up at around 8:30am and went in the pouring rain to get some breakfast at Starbucks. My sneakers were completely soaked after the walk, but the waffles made it worth it. We then met up with the group at 9:30 and went to the International Manga Museum. I am not really into manga, so I didn’t think I was going to be into the museum, but I actually enjoyed it. When you walk into the museum there are tons of book shelves filled with different anime novels. Then, the upstairs floor is the museum with the walls showing manga transforming throughout the years, how different historical events affected manga, and how different cultures affected it. It also had a section dedicated to the distribution process and how all the money is divided up amongst the artists. We then watched a “show” which was more of an interactive game with school children where this man would show an anime character in the front of the audience and you would have to guess the name of it. It was so cool to be apart of that because the audience was a mix of Americans, Chinese, and Japanese people, but everyone was able to play together and have a good time even though I barely understood what people were saying. After the show was over, we went to lunch at Shake Shack. I decided to try the mushroom burger since I have been adventurous with trying new foods here. It was okay, next time I’m just going to stick with the hamburger, though. After that, we explored this department store mall because we did not really have anything else to do on this rainy day. I then took a nap and went on a run. We now are about to go to dinner and try to explore the city.

Last night in the reading I actually learned a lot since I’m not usually reading things related to manga. I learned about the manga market and the controversies surrounding the roots of anime. Surprisingly, the manga market is split evenly between males and females. I thought it would be more males, but the division is equal. The debate that is going on today regarding the manga market is whether it gets its inspiration from traditional Japanese culture or from the west. There is also problems with manga such as the violence depicted towards women and the objectification of women. Manga also can have inappropriate messages and many children are part of the manga market, so people see that as a problem.

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Day #17

Today we went to Fushimi-Inari Shrine. We met up with the group at 9:30am and went on a short subway ride to this very popular tourist spot. The Fushimi-Inari Shrine is such a popular spot because the shrine’s origins date all the way back to the capitals move to Kyoto which took place in 794. The shrine has thousands of vermilion torii gates that we got a chance to walk through. Professor smith wasn’t kidding when he said it was going to be crowded, there were people everywhere, but I was still able to enjoy the shrine. After seeing the shrine we walked up the torii gates and I was planning on doing the two hour hike up to the top of Mount Inari, but then I got too lazy so Jade and I walked down after hiking up for about 30 minutes. After we got back down the mountain we went to all of the gift shops lining the streets. I bought some really cute souvenirs for my friends back at school. Jade and I then went to our favorite Mexican restaurant in Kyoto called Avocado, they have such good guac and chips. I got a taco rice bowl which was actually amazing. We then went back to the house and chilled for a little and then I went alone on an 8 mile bike ride along the river again. Jade and I are now about to leave to go see a movie in the theatre. There aren’t many movies out that interest us here, but we thought it would be a cool experience to go to a movie theatre here to see the difference between what it is like in the US and in Japan, so we are going to see the Pokemon movie.

At the shrine today there were a lot of souvenirs that you could get that had to do with foxes. This is because foxes are thought to be Inari’s messenger, and the shrine is at the base of Mount Inari. The torii gates go all the way up to the top of Mount Inari. Other well known symbols of Inari worship, other than the fox, are jewels, rice, and fried tofu, which we saw a lot of at the street market leading up to the shrine. Also, it is important to note that Inari is worshipped in multiple traditions and there is no central authority governing how it is worshiped. There is not a consistent practice. Overall, today was a cool day being able to see such a sacred place.

the writing on the back of the torii is the company names who donated the gates.

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Day #16

Thankfully, today I was feeling better so I was able to attend today’s activity which was the imperial palace! We met up with the group at 8:30 and took a bus to the imperial palace. At 10am there was a guided tour, where this women showed us around the palace for an hour explaining all the different parts of the palace and some events that happened at each site. At the garden in the palace there is a beautiful river. The guide explained that a small boat with sake would go on the river and if you were able to write a poem on the boat you could drink the sake. This is just one example of the cool small stories she told us throughout the entire tour. She also explained to us how the roofs are made out of  tree bark, but in a  way that preserves the tree. They don’t just chop down the tree, they designed an eco-friendly way to get the bark without harming the tree.  The catch is it takes about 10 years to become a carpenter so this kind of roof is costly and is mostly used in shrines, temples, and palaces nowadays. She also explained to us that there are 18 stairs up to one  of the buildings because 9 stairs is lucky, so 18 stairs is “double lucky.” I enjoyed going on a tour like this because she told us cool facts that I might not have learned otherwise. After the imperial palace guided tour was over at around 11  we ended for the day. Allison, Jade, Xander, Cody and I went to lunch at the Ron Herman cafe which is in the town we are staying in. The place is a California inspired cafe and the atmosphere and the food  was a 10/10. I got a chicken egg and cheese sandwich with fries and it was SO good, I also tried mustard for the first time (lol) and hated it. After lunch we went back to the house and changed into workout clothes. We found this app called Pippa where you can rent bikes for hours and then return them to any Pippa station around the city. Luckily there is a Pippa right near the house so we got bikes and bikes along the river. We ended up biking 10 miles total which was super fun. After, we returned the bikes and got roll ice cream which was amazing, as always. There was a nail place right across from the ice cream shop and I have been looking all around kyoto to get my nails done and  everywhere only does gel nails, but this place did normal manicures so I ended up getting my nails done for 1000 yen which was a great deal. Overall, it was a really good day and I’m excited for tomorrow!!

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Day #15

Sadly, today I did not go to the activity because I am sick. I rested up all day and drank about a dozen water bottles, so hopefully I will be fine for tomorrow. 

Although I could not attend today’s activities, the readings were still interesting. We read Shintokumaru and The Enlightenment Geisha. In the reading Shintokumaru it references the temple that the group saw today. The temple, Kiyiomizudera, was used by families to pray for good fortune. In the story of Shintokumaru the mother is killed after having her child. Before the mother is killed, though, her and her husband go to the temple and pray to Kannon to grant them a child. I wish I was able to go to the temple to see the spot the story talks about, that would’ve been cool.

The second reading, The Englightenment Gesiha, talks about the attempts to transform Geshia’s into loving mothers. A Geshia is a Japanese women who entertains others, specifically men, through singing and dance. In the reading it talks about the positive effects educational institutions can have on Geshia’s in order to turn them into productive and successful women.

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Day #14

Today was one of the harder days of my trip so far. We did really fun activities, i just woke up pretty sick. This morning I woke up at 6:30am from the morning prayer that is going on at the temple next door. I then walked to a bakery a half a mile away to get some breakfast before we got on the bus to go to the temples. We got on the bus around 8:30 and we went to kinkakuji. Kinkakuji is known as the golden pavilion. It overlooks a large pond and was the retirement complex of the shogun ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The temple has been burned down multiple times before and the latest reconstruction of the temple took place in 1955. The temple was beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing it. Jade and I were trying to take pictures in front of the temple and 5 different people decided to get in and take pictures with us which was funny. After, we went to the zen gardens which was a short bus ride away. The zen temple complex is called daitokuji. This complex was a great place to see all different types of zen gardens. At one of the temples a women gave us a tour of the garden and the meaning behind all the rocks, trees, and pebbles in the garden which was really cool. I bought a bracelet at the garden that says in Japanese, “your way must be long, your heart round, keep from being angry, let the other be great and myself small.” I really liked the meaning behind it so I bought the bracelet for 500yen. After we broke off for the day and I went to this all vegan cafe and got this taco bowl and a muffin which was amazing. I then chilled for the rest of the day and tried to rest and got pancakes for dinner.

There are 22 sub-temples within the monastery complex. One of the zen gardens we went to today was the ryogen-in temple. The garden represents humans in the universe; the green moss represents the sea and the rocks represent the mountains. Another one of the sub-temples of the daitokuji monastery we visited was the zuiho-in. The zuiho-in has 8 different points of interest: the entry garden, the formal gate, the entry hall, the screen, and the main hall, the main garden, the tea rooms, and the garden of the cross. The entry garden has 3 turns before you get to the temple door in order to create a sense of “traveling” some distance. At the entry hall you take off your shoes and then you walk through the main hall and silently observe the gardens. It was really cool to go see sub-temples, because they are unlike the other temples we have been seeing. They have a more relaxing and residential vibe.

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Day #13

Today we went to himeji-jo castle. We woke up at 8:30 and traveled for about 2 hours to get to the district. We then went to lunch where I ordered a cheese pizza. The pizza came out with salmon all in it, which I was scared at first to try, but it ended up being pretty good. We then walked to the castle. On the way there we stopped at this small market where there were tents that sold many different items ranging from swords to snow cones. I, of course, got a snow cone. We then went up through the castle. We toured one of the barrier walls and we walked up all the floors of the main building. It was so cool to see how detailed the design of the building was. On the walls lining the castle there were many slots where a bow and arrow would be able to go through to attack the enemy. The castle was designed in such a way that it was almost impossible for an invader to successfully attack. We then got some ice cream and went home. We are now going out to dinner to celebrate Allison’s birthday! Overall, it was a cool day seeing such a beautiful castle.

The reading from last night talked about the construction of the castle and the difference between European and Japanese designs, it also talked about the social aspects of the castle towns. European castles are built with high walls, whereas the Japanese castles are built to be within the mountain and use the mountains incline to their advantage. The daimyo usually controlled the castle and also the surrounding neighborhoods. The daimyo was able to keep everything in order, while still being able to accommodate to commoners. The castle towns ended up growing due to commoners choice, but still had the original design from the daimyo. It was really cool to see and go inside and tour castle like this in real life.

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Day #13

Free day in Kyoto

Today we had our free day. I woke up at 8:30am from construction that is going on in the neighborhood. I then went on a short run and found this little vegan cafe where I got a smoothie and a muffin. I was looking for Açai, and this place came up on my maps but they ended up only having smoothies. It was still good though. I then walked around the area for a little bit to further explore. I really like the area of Kyoto they seem to have a lot of cool shops. We then went to a sake museum which was cool, we didn’t stay for long because not much was in English. After that we went to an onsen. On the way to an onsen we saw a temple which was unexpected and nice. The onsen is really cool because it has a hot bath area, a cold bath, and a sauna. It was really relaxing, definitely a new cultural experience. We now are going to a Japanese cook your own bbq! Fun day

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Day #12

Traveling to Kyoto.

Yesterday we traveled to Kyoto. Before we left I went on my last Starbucks trip and walked around my neighborhood of Akihabara. We then went to Tokyo train station and took a 2 hour bullet train to Kyoto. Once we got to Kyoto we explored the train station which was massive and had so many food shops. We then took a taxi to our home for the next 12 days. We are all living in this one complex and 4 people are sharing a house. The house I’m staying in has two floors. The bottom floor has tatami mats, a kitchen, a toilet room, and then a shower room. We put all our luggage on the tatami mats so there is not much room to sit. Upstairs there are four mats that we sleep on. It’s not an ideal living situation and I need to keep an open mind and make the best out of it. After we got settled in we walked around the town and I went on a run along the river. Kyoto already seems so cool, there are many small shops with unique items and it seems like there are many different restaurant options available. Last night we went to a sushi place where I got a cucumber roll, shrimp tempura, and rice. The waiter kept bringing out items we didn’t order and told us we ordered them so we think they sorta took advantage of us for not speaking English, but who knows!

For the academic reflection, nothing much happened yesterday, but I did notice the difference in infrastructure between Tokyo and Kyoto. Kyoto is a busy city, but the buildings are smaller and the area seems to be more impoverished. Can’t wait for my adventures in Kyoto!!

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Day #11

Today we took a hour and a half train to Mt. Takao. Our hike was about 5.5 miles. The hike up was very steep, but the views on the way to the top and especially at the top we're worth it.  On the way up the mountain there were small little tents set up with different kinds of ice creams and foods which was cool because in the US there aren’t many small cute shops on a mountain for the hikers. Also on the way up to the top there were multiple temples. We would walk up steep stairs to find a beautiful temple, and then look further to more stairs, walk up those, and find another beautiful temple. It was so cool to see such amazing religious monuments just smack dab in the middle of the trail. At the top, the view of the mountains was amazing. It was really crowded at the top of the mountain and there were many old couples up there which surprised me due to the length and steepness of the trail. We then walked back down  ⅓ of the way and then took a ski lift for the rest of the way. At the bottom there is a small town with great restaurants. We went to this one place where we sat on tatami mats. I had shrimp, seafood, and vegetable tempura with soba noodles. I’ve never had soba noodles before and I actually liked them! We then went back to the apartment and tonight we are going to the sky tree for our last night in Tokyo.

In the reading last night it focused a lot on the importance of nature to Japan. The forests in Japan are managed in order to keep them as beautiful as they are today, however, there is still some competition for the forest resources. The abundance of trees in Japan does not only boost the appearance, but also protects the forests from landslides. Overall, today was a great hike and was just another reminder to me on how beautiful Japan is!

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Free Day #2-  Media Reflection

Today Jade and I went to the amusement park, DisneySea. The girls at Musashi University that Jade and I befriended, told us that DisneySea is the adult version of Disneyland, so Jade and I chose to go. It was a really fun day, but I would not say it is my favorite amusement park due to the limited number of rides compared to amusement parks I’ve been to like Universal Studios and Six Flags. Jade and I left Akihabara at 9:45am and it took us about 1 hour to get to DisneySea. We took a subway to Tokyo and then the JR line to Disney Sea. I was surprised by how easy it was to get there from our apartment. Japan really does have it all when it comes to being able to do so many different types of things in close proximity to each other. Once we got to the park there was no line to buy tickets, so we bought them right away and walked right in. The tickets were 7400 yen which is pricey, but at the same time pretty typical of any amusement park. When we were walked in I was immediately greeted with a “Happy Easter.” Jade and I turned to each other and laughed just thinking the women was confused. However, as we started walking more into the park we saw signs that said Happy Easter and the entire park had gift booths and signs hanging around that all had to do with Easter. I didn’t really think much of it until later in the day when at the waterfront they performed an entire float show that had to do with the “easter theme”, there were bunnies and all these egg floats. I found this to be extremely strange that they were “celebrating” Easter at Disney, first because it is not Easter (or even close to Easter) and second because almost everyone who was there was japanese and does not celebrate or probably know much about the holiday. I was surprised Disney, which is a famous global company, would even try to use a religious holiday as a marketing stunt. Jade and I talked about it and we were thinking if something like that happened in Disney World in Orlando with the park creating a theme around Buddhism people would be offended and say it is cultural appropriation or something like that. It was a cute theme and it seemed like all the kids loved it, it just got Jade and I thinking about the double standard that takes place across the globe. This isn’t the only instance where we have noticed the difference in the actions that would be criticized in one country and not even questioned by another. On another note, Jade and I got burgers and fries for lunch and this really interesting dessert, honestly I don’t even know how to describe it, but it was pretty good. After going on about 8 rides, and walking 7 miles in the park we headed home and got dinner at our favorite place in Akihabara, Ippudo.

For the media reflection, I chose a youtube video titled “The World’s Best Theme Park-  Tokyo DisneySea Overview & Review.” In the video the narrator describes Disney Sea as the best theme park there is, with having a culmination of all the best things Disney theme parks have. He ranks “family rides” as 9/10, saying that the park has a wide selection of family attractions. He ranks “thrill rides” also as 9/10, which I strongly disagree with because almost all of the rides were shorter than a minute long with 10 seconds of crazy excitement at best. He rated “experiences” as a 9/10, as well, which I can fairly agree with because at every area of the park, the set-up and design was cool and put together, but that should be expected with any Disney park. Nothing about the “experiences” stood out to me as being different in Japan than in the US besides a lot of the rides were darker than any normal Disney ride would be.  What I mean by “darker” is that a lot of the rides incorporated scary characters and dark lights, whereas in Disney world it is all happy and fun for the little children. In the video, they rated “entertainment” as a  10/10  saying that they have never been to  park so dedicated to making sure the show is extravagant as Tokyo Disney Sea is. I can’t really comment too much on the entertainment because Jade and I did not go to any of the shows, but there was one popup performance that had to do with the “easter” event which was really well organized and exciting. The video then just keeps on hyping up the park by providing videos of the rides and attractions. I would say that the reality was different than the media representation because the video was so overly positive. The creator of the video did not include any of the flaws of the park which naturally makes it hard to completely agree with. He made the park seem a lot more exciting than it really is, there was not nearly enough rides that were “thrilling” like he said. I really did like though how each area of the park was totally immersive into that specific theme. The decorations and design are all up to date and enticing. I would not call it the “world’s best theme park”, but it was fun to go for the day! There are always going to be  discrepancies between media representation and reality. It is often found that on social media people make their lives seem so much better than they really are or their looks much different, and once people meet  that person in real life they are almost let down by the false perceptions they had of that person. The same goes for places, after watching the media representation of this park I was almost bound  to be let down because of how hyped up it was. Regardless of the false advertisements, the day was filled with a lot of laughter, junk food, walking, and an overall good time! I don’t regret going, by any means, but I just don’t agree with the media representation.

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Day #9

Today we went to Ueno Park, the Tokyo National Museum, and Akihabara. The day started at around 10am, we walked to Ueno park which is less than 15 minutes from the apartment. The park was so beautiful and it is yet another example of the contrast in Tokyo between nature and city life. There is a lake where you can ride swans, there is a zoo, and temples and shrines all within the park. We then shopped at these tents that had really nice handmade chopsticks. Then we split off for lunch... Jade, Allison, and I got pizza which was SO good and much needed. After lunch, we went to the Tokyo National Museum where we saw tons of different kinds of art (everything in the museum was older than the United States which was pretty cool). The museum was cool because I got a chance to see artwork that i’ve never seen before. After the museum we went to Akihabara which is the district where our apartments is. I've walked around the district a bunch of times to go to the supermarket, starbucks etc. so I am pretty familiar with the area, but Professor Smith showed us some of the cool places that I hadn’t seen yet, so it was a fun experience. Akihabara was originally the electronic district where people would come to buy all different kinds of electronics, but now it is more known for anime. There are also maid cafes all over Akihabara which is pretty weird. Maid cafes are when these girls dress up in these really girly baby cute maid costumes and talk to the customer in weird ways. After seeing the hidden spots in Akihabara, we went back to the apartment and relaxed for a bit and Jade and I just got sushi for dinner. I tried my first california roll and liked it a lot!

The reading last night talked about Otaku culture which is extremely present in Akihabara. Otaku culture refers to the anime and video game culture in Japan. The reading focused on the type of people who are into Otaku culture and the perceived notions about them. Regardless of if people agree or disagree with the ideas behind the people who are into Otaku, it is extremely popular and present in Akihabara. There is something to do with Anime or video games every way you turn.  Overall, today was a chill, fun day. Can’t wait for my free day tomorrow, Jade and I are going to Disney Sea!

All of these  are in Ueno park

one of my favorite pieces at the Museum!

Akihabara

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Day  #8

Today was unlike the others. We met with the group at 9:30am and went to the Ginza District where we saw 3 different types of traditional kabuki plays at the Kabukiza Theater. The play started at 11am and lasted about 4 hours, ending at 3:40pm. There were 2 intermissions throughout the play, where we ate some snacks and I had a subway sandwich. We had an English guide on an ipad that translated the play for us as it was happening, which made the experience enjoyable. The performance was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Although it was quite long, it was nice being able to see a play that is so popular in Japan. This play, in particular, ranks among the 18 best kabuki plays ever. After the play, my friends were going to lunch, but I wasn’t hungry so I went back alone. This was my first time alone on the subway, and I felt pretty accomplished for not getting lost this time. I then finally did my laundry at the laundromat nearby!

Kabuki is really important to Japanese culture, with its roots dating back to the Edo period. This traditional form of Japanese theatre involves a lot of exaggerated movements, detailed costumes and makeup, and an involved audience. People in the audience during the play would randomly shout at the stage, which I found interesting because that does not happen in the US. Also something unique about Kabuki is all of the actors are played by men. Women still admire the female roles, though, and often take fashion trends from them. The three different plays we saw today were, The Revenge of the Soga Brothers, The Subscription Scroll, and The Fight between Firefighters and Sumo Wrestlers. My favorite play was the last one, The Fight between the Firefighters and the Sumo Wrestlers. In this play there is a rivalry between the fire fighting forces and the sumo wrestlers, the act ends with an exciting battle scene. The fight scene is called ‘Tachimawari’ and it was very upbeat and intense. I also liked this play the most because there was a young boy character whose acting was phenomenal. The other two plays were also very interesting with The Revenge of the Soga Brothers being about the Soga Brothers’ Vendetta. This play incorporates the ‘aragoto’ style and ‘wagaoto’ style which means  exaggerated speech and realistic speech, respectively. The second play, The Subscription Scroll, was funny because one of the characters improvises the lines while reading a completely blank scroll. Although it was a long day at theater, all three plays were unique and exciting in their own ways, and I am happy I got the opportunity to see it!